


Year One

by TDaL



Series: Stray!Tim [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Stray!Tim, Tim Drake is Catlad, Tim is a fanboy, poor insecure Timmy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-12
Updated: 2016-05-09
Packaged: 2018-05-01 06:22:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5195474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TDaL/pseuds/TDaL
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Tim grows into Stray, and ultimately into himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The first of many parts that look into Tim's life as Stray!
> 
> I have a few of these finished, but currently I'm typing away like crazy at my NaNoWriMo fic. Aw yes. That is a thing I'm doing this year. And, dare I say, it is going very well. I made a post about it on [Tumblr](http://flashthroughlight.tumblr.com/post/132916952433/nanowrimo-2015) if you're interested in seeing what kind of shenanigans I'm getting up to~

It was inevitable that Batman and Nightwing came after them. Tim was just surprised that it took four days for either of them to show up.

One moment he and Selina were joking with each other as they were leaping across rooftops, on the hunt for some fun, and the next Batman swooped down from out of nowhere and landed down right in front of them.

Tim hadn’t seen Batman in such proximity since the night that he had intervened with Jason and for one moment he was frightened that the man had deduced his identity and had come to take him away.

“The boy, Selina.” The man growled out.

Catwoman widened her stance, her hand going to her side to grab her whip.

He knew that Batman wasn’t going to get his hands on him without a fight. Tim lowered his body, keeping his eyes out for any other outside interference. Batman had been accompanied by Nightwing consistently ever since he had come back from wherever he had gone off to.

Stray was the one who tilted his head to the side, listening carefully when he heard the sound of something scraping against a brick wall. It wasn’t much. Most people would’ve written it off as a trick of the wind, but Stray was starting to know better.

He reached up to the side of his goggles, turning on the infrared function. “Beat it, Batsy. You weren’t invited.” Catwoman hissed out next to him. Stray looked around, still trying to find the source of the sound.

It was a quick flash of orange and yellow in his peripheral one second, and a large blot right in front of him the next. He could hear Catwoman’s whip snap in the air the same time that he dodged to the side.

Stray quickly switch off his goggles, preferring to run around with his own vision as his guide. The infrared would just prove to hinder him at this point.

A quick look over at Catwoman and Batman showed him that they were duking it out. Catwoman was twirling around, cracking her whip at Batman in an attempt to keep him busy and at bay.

Stray knew that she was just trying to give him a chance to run off and hide.

But with Nightwing after him as well, Stray knew that it would only be a matter of time before the older man caught up to him.

As much as Stray had learned over the past few months and how quickly he had done so, he was no match for someone who had been doing this gig for years.

Stray had the advantage in that he was smaller and easily able to slip away, but Nightwing had the tenacity to not back down at a challenge and the sheer determination of getting the job done.

It felt good whenever he turned just right to avoid Nightwing’s arms and he actually laughed out loud when the man growled out in frustration. He even managed to slip away fast enough at one point to leap from one building to the next, but that was where he went wrong. Stray went left when he should have gone right and Nightwing barreled into him, throwing the both of them onto the ground.

In this playing field, Nightwing had the advantage. He was bigger and he was stronger. It was only a matter of seconds before he had Stray pinned down on the roof, holding down his legs first and then grabbing onto his wrists after he avoided a clawed swipe.

Stray struggled for a few seconds, but he knew that it was useless at this point. He groaned. He had hoped that he would have lasted at least a few minutes.

Now that neither of them were moving, Stray took a moment to take in his situation. Part of him wished he hadn’t when the more outspoken part of him shoved its way up to the surface.

“Oh my god!” Stray shouted out, ignoring Nightwing as he pulled his head back in confusion.

There was a hard crack of Catwoman’s whip and a few thuds, no doubt Catwoman and Batman exchanging blows before she shouted back at him. “Stray! Are you alright?”

Stray had no filter anymore. It was no use even trying to stop it. “Nightwing is on top of me!” He swore that his voice didn’t break in excitement. Nightwing choked at his words and the night was filled with silence for a few seconds. It seemed that his words had halted both of the others as well.

There was a gleeful cackle coming from the other roof and Stray could see Catwoman crouching down on the ledge. “Isn’t it the most glorious experience?”

He didn’t even have the time to nod before Nightwing pushed himself off of him and held his hands up. It was hilarious to see the scandalized look on the older vigilante’s face and Stray let out a cackle of his own as he rolled away and jumped up to where Catwoman was.

She reached out and grabbed his arm as he jumped, pulling him up and setting him down in between the v of her legs. Stray leaned back against her, humming happily as she patted his head. He grinned over at Nightwing, kicking his legs back and forth, hitting his heels against the wall.

Stray noticed when a large shadow blocked off the moonlight. It was Batman loomed over them. Catwoman turned to the right and Stray turned to the left, leaning up so he could see around her shoulders.

“What is the meaning of this, Catwoman?” Batman demanded of her. Nightwing had gotten over his own shock and had jumped up to stand next to his mentor.

Stray had no shame in admitting that he stuck his tongue out at the younger of the two vigilantes.

It seemed to make Nightwing uncomfortable and it was fabulous to see.

“I don’t know what you mean.” Catwoman said simply, wrapping her arms around Stray’s shoulders, but not so tightly that he wasn’t able to keep looking behind her. “You have two little sidekicks, I don’t see why I can’t have one of my own.”

“Even you know that this is wrong.” Was the immediate response.

Stray reached up and grabbed Catwoman’s shoulders, pulling himself up so he was facing both vigilantes. “I don’t see how it’s wrong.” His mouth curled up into a smirk as Catwoman kept her possessive arms around him.

“Look, kid.” It actually looked like it was hurting Nightwing to say those words. “You’re young. There are better options for you than running around with a thief.”

“What about you? Weren’t you younger than I am right now when you became Robin? I’m pretty sure that the current Robin wasn’t much older than I was when Batman took him in either.” Stray snapped back.

Both Batman and Nightwing looked at each other at his words. Nothing they could say at that moment could refute what he had just said.

Catwoman pulled her arms away, moving to stand up herself. She placed her hand on his head again and he made a show of taking a step towards her and butting his head against her hand, all the while keeping his eyes on the vigilantes. Nightwing was more expressive with how awkward he felt and Stray could only imagine that Batman was feeling the same way, albeit inwardly.

“It’s just different, kid-” Nightwing started again, but Stray immediately shot him down.

“Tell me exactly how.” He snarled. It was only Catwoman’s hand slipping down to his shoulder and gripping tightly that actually kept him from extending his claws.

It was silent after that and the silence between them was awkward. Nightwing obviously wasn’t sure on how to deal with the situation, Catwoman was giving off her satisfaction and Batman was just silent, never talking his eyes off of Stray.

Stray planted his hands on his hips, cocking them to the side as he looked up at the caped crusader.

His words were few, but that didn’t mean that they were shocking. “I know you.”

Stray immediately tensed up and even Catwoman used the hand on his shoulder to keep him back as she stepped in front of him protectively. She was ready to defend him and throw him off the side of the roof if need be. Nightwing looked over at Batman with a surprised look.

Stray tilted his head up in defiance, trying to convey that the words hadn’t brought down his resolve at all. In truth he was panicking on the inside, Tim freaking out at those three little words. If Batman had already figured out who he really was, then the jig was up. No doubt Batman would pull strings as Bruce Wayne to take him away from Selina. He had the power to do so. Just by placing a concerned call to Tim’s parents and it would ruin everything that he had been working towards for coming up to half a year now.

It wasn’t fair.

He had only just started.

This couldn’t be the end for him.

Batman took a step forward and Catwoman actually hissed at him in an attempt to keep him away, but it didn’t deter the man at all. He might have stopped moving towards them, but that didn’t stop him from speaking. “It was hard to pinpoint because you had that ridiculous accent the last time we spoke.”

Tim’s thoughts screeched to a quick halt. His mind settled as he realized what Batman was talking about. He huffed loudly and held his chin up in defiance. “Well, I ain’t never said ‘twas perfect.”

Nightwing was looking even more confused, if it was even possible, and Tim could even feel Catwoman’s eyes on him. Even though she had hinted that she realized what she had done the night that he had confronted Jason and word went out that Batman was looking to thank a young boy, she hadn’t pressed him on the details.

“You should roll your r’s more. Don’t drawl so much as swallow the words.” Batman gave him as advice.

Stray narrowed his eyes at Batman, not yet trusting that the man hadn’t realized who he really was yet. “I’ll keep it in mind, then.” He mumbled.

Batman stepped forward again, this time without Catwoman giving up any protests. He didn’t come too close to the both of them as he kneeled down to Stray’s height. “I never got the chance to thank you for what you did.”

He crossed his arms over his chest, turning his head away to avoid the Batman’s gaze. “Yeah, well, I couldn’t really just let him run off, now could I?”

“Oh shit.” Nightwing muttered, probably having finally realized what Batman and Stray were talking about. It was about time.

“How’s he doing?” Stray asked timidly.

Batman was silent for a moment, pursing his lips as he seemingly had to think about his response. “He’ll be fine. It was rough for a little bit, but he said he’ll get over it.”

That was a relief to hear. Tim had already gotten word from Selina that Batman had been out to thank him. He realized that this meant that whatever his little intervention had done, it had been a good thing.

“Robin was very vocal about the tracker that you found on his jacket…” There was a stretched out pause, probably for effect. “Supposedly at least. I’m pretty sure that I would have remembered if I had planted something like that on him.”

Great. Now he was trying to fish information about how Stray had gotten his hands on the tracking device. He rubbed his nails on his chest as he answered. “Perhaps you should make sure that your pouches are properly closed before you start knocking goon’s teeth out of their mouths.”

Batman hummed in accordance. “Would you happen to be the reason that we’ve been losing a lot more batarangs than usual as well?”

“They’re nice trophies. They look good on my wall.” Stray didn’t really hang them up. They all went into the boxes underneath his bed. There was no need for him to leave them out to be potentially spotted by his housekeeper.

Batman shook his head, something that sounded like a soft huff of laughter escaping from him as he stood up again and backed up. “Your boy’s good. You’ve trained him well.”

“I’d certainly like to think so.” Catwoman said in response.

“Let’s go, Nightwing.”

Nightwing jumped in surprise, turning towards his mentor as the man started walking off. “Bru-Batman! We’re just going to leave it like this? I thought you said we were going to handle the situation!” Batman didn’t give Nightwing any indication that he had heard him before he pulled out his grappling hook and shot it off, taking into the sky mere seconds later.

The younger vigilante muttered under his breath as he grabbed his own grappler. He turned towards Stray, the white lenses of his domino mask narrowing as he pointed two fingers at his eyes and then back at Stray before he took off after Batman.

Both he and Catwoman stood in silence as they watched the two of them disappear into the night. Once he was sure that they were both gone, Tim pushed his goggles up onto his forehead and let out a loud groan. “That was way too close!”

“You’re telling me, Kitten.” Selina grumbled as she pushed her own goggles away from her eyes.

“I thought that we were made for a second there.” Tim’s heart was beating wildly in his chest. On the one hand it was good to know that Batman hadn’t figured out that he was Timothy Drake yet, but the man had only seen him for all of five minutes before this in completely different state of dress and with a different mannerism. Tim was definitely going to have to up his game when it came to disguising himself if he wanted to start fooling the dark knight.

“How about we call it a night and go get some milkshakes?” Selina suggested.

Tim sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Milkshakes sound great.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stray is watching Gotham from above when he gets an unexpected visitor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy holidays everyone! I hope everyone that celebrates it had a great Christmas!
> 
> I know it's been a while since I've updated, but with writing NaNoWriMo and finals at university, I got a bit busy. Now that it's winter break I'm hoping to give you guys more chapters!

One thing that Tim had gotten into the habit of doing was looking down at Gotham, watching her inhabitants run around as they went through their everyday lives.

Climbing to the top of her high reaching buildings and skyscrapers gave him a much better glimpse of the city that he lived in than any high function party he had attended with his parents.

From the tops of these structures he was able to see Gotham for everything that she was. The clear segregation between the different classes. The way that people spent their days.

Some days, if he could get out of the house without Mrs. Mac noticing or come up with a reason not to go home straight after school, he liked to take to the rooftops and just watch people.

The different people were all so colorful. When Tim was a little boy he liked to look at people and wonder what their stories were. He’d sit and think about them, creating stories in his mind. Most of the time he liked to envision households were the family was an actual family. The parents going to work to provide for the family, the children going to school, and then everyone congregating back home after a long day and spending their time together. Sitting at the dining room table for supper. Laughing as they played board games together. The parents tucking in their children at the end of the night and spending the time before they too went to bed wrapped around each other, just enjoying each other’s company.

It was the ideal. The ideal that he saw on television and read in books.

The ideal that had even only been a fantasy for him.

No one had really payed him much attention before, not even his parents. Sure, they had taken note of his accomplishments and congratulated him accordingly – and shown them off – but they never took note of Tim. Not even his caretakers really paid any attention to him. They were either too busy with the housework or feeling too much pity for him to really notice him.

Over the past few months, for the first time in his life, he was starting to get noticed and it almost felt surreal. Some nights Tim would be laying down in bed and just stare up at the ceiling, wondering how his dreary life from before had become the one that he was living right now.

Somehow he had caught the eye of Catwoman, and she hadn’t left his side since. Tim really couldn’t think about what reason besides that she was curious about him that he had been invited to her house for hot chocolate, but he was so glad that she did. He was forever grateful that she had taken one look at a small little boy following around vigilantes at night with his camera and had taken him in. That Selina had taken time and energy to take him out and teach him how to defend himself, how to get around without touching the ground, and how to use people’s inattention of him to his advantage.

Now that he was becoming associated with her world he was also catching the attention of other people who lurked in the night.

Tim hadn’t seen the Caped Crusader since the night that the man had sought out him and Catwoman. Not in person at least. Stray had caught glimpses here and there during the night of either a cape trailing in the wind or a shock of blue against the dark sky, but it was always more of a presence, and not in a looming way.

It was actually quite flattering that Batman and Nightwing would keep an eye out for him. Two of the men that he most looked up to in his life were starting to pay attention and acknowledge him as well.

From the moment that Selina had dragged him behind a dumpster in her attempt to lose a tail of thugs his life had started to change.

He had gone from a lonely young rich boy, whose parents hadn’t deemed him either fit or old enough or just too much of a nuisance to take along with them on their trips around the world, to a young boy who had stepped out of his comfort zone and was starting to make something of himself without the pressure of anyone’s expectations.

Timothy Drake was a quiet young boy, who was coming to light as a young genius.

Stray was an eager boy who was extending his limitations and reaching out to grasp the world in his claws.

Yet, he didn’t feel like he was either of them. He, Tim Drake, was somewhere in between those. Now was the time that he could take to find himself. To see who he really was as his own person.

Gotham at night was proving to be the perfect medium in which to do so.

As much as he liked watching the hustle and bustle of the city during its busiest hours, there wasn’t really quite anything like Gotham at night.

It showed someone exactly what the city was like at these times.

Calm and subdued the further you got away from her and explosive and frantic at her very core.

That night was quiet. Selina opted to stay in for the night and had asked Tim if he wanted to stick around and watch a movie, but he felt the need to go out.

She had let him go off with minor protests, claiming that she knew the feeling.

Tim went out as Stray. Even if he wasn’t planning on sticking his nose into anyone’s business for the night, that didn’t mean that he could wander around without keeping his identity a secret.

Ever since Batman, and Nightwing along with him, had sought him out, Tim hadn’t taken to the rooftops at night without his gear. Batman might not have gotten a good glimpse of him the night that the man had seen him and Jason, but the man was more than smart enough to connect the sight of a boy jumping on the rooftops with Stray.

He was starting to face the reality of the life that he was starting to get in to. Secret identities were key to keeping himself and his family safe. More often than once had he seen people and their loved ones been taken advantage of all because someone who was out for hurt knew their names.

Eventually Tim settled down on the Gotham Cathedral, sitting down on one of the lower towers. He was kicking his legs back and forth as he looked down at the streets below him.

Just in that moment he spotted two muggings, someone getting stabbed in a gang dispute, several drug addicts shooting up for the night, and a prostitute leading a middle aged man into an alley.

Nothing quite like Park Row, infamously known as Crime Alley.

The fact that Tim didn’t have a reaction to what was going on below him was already enough of a testament of how much he had been desensitized.

Far off into the distance, almost on the opposite end of the city, Tim watched as the Bat Signal lit up into the sky.

He was not expecting anyone to be on this side of town. Batman, and most likely Nightwing, would attend to whatever the Commissioner needed of them and Catwoman was in for the night. There was no one else who would climb this high to join him.

Or so he thought at least.

For all that he had been trying to get used to people sneaking up on him, Tim wasn’t going to lie that he actually jerked and shouted in surprise when someone suddenly spoke up behind him.

“Hi.”

It was only from Selina fine tuning his reflexes that Tim managed to regain his balance before he plummeted to the ground below, which was a good thing because he wasn’t sure he’d react fast enough to use his whip to stop his fall.

Once he was sure that he was steady, Stray turned around with an indignant look on his face. Who dare sneak up on him like-?

Oh.

After having been gone for upwards a month, now getting closer to two, Stray was surprised to see Jason Todd standing right by him.

At first he wanted to ask why Robin wasn’t joining Batman to see to the Bat Signal, but then he realized that Jason wasn’t wearing his uniform. The older teen was simply clad in a dark hoodie and a simple domino mask covering his eyes.

Even though Tim knew now that Jason was alright, it was such a relief to see the teen alive in front of him. A weight that he hadn’t known had been pressing down on him lifted as he pulled back his shoulders to straighten his crouch.

“Robin.” Tim winced inwardly at the reverent tone his voice took.

Jason’s relaxed look immediately shuttered and he seemed to fold in on himself.

What had happened to evoke such a reaction?

“Catlad.”

His mouth immediately curled back in a sneer. A lot of people were still calling him that. Damn the newspapers. Catwoman had been going out, calling him by his proper moniker, so it was getting out to more and more people, but he was still called that more often than not.

He was really hoping that it wouldn’t stick. “It’s Stray, actually.”

Jason shoved his hands into his pant pockets as he regarded Stray in front of him. “Stray, huh? I like that better. Can’t really trust what you read then.”

“I’m glad you think that.” Stray watched the teen closely as he approached him and leaned against the wall under the outcrop of the roof of the tower they were on. What had the older teen come here for?

“I haven’t seen you in a while.” He commented.

All Jason did was nod, no longer looking at Stray, but at the Bat Symbol high in the sky.   
“Six weeks, four days, and twenty-three hours. Not that I’ve been keeping count.” He said with a wry smile.

Stray blinked, glad that his goggles were at least obscuring a bit of his face. “That’s very precise.”

Jason hummed in response. “I know, but it’s easy to keep track of something as simple as time when a life changing moment occurred.” He pulled a lighter out of his pocket, flipping open the top and watching the flame.

Tim remained silent, not pulling his eyes away from his companion. He wasn’t exactly sure what to say. A quick calculation in his head set the day that Jason was talking about as the night that Tim had come across him when he had been getting ready to leave without a word.

“So fucking stupid actually.” Jason’s chuckle was flat. Something in him had changed. The person who was standing next to Stray wasn’t the one that he had followed nearly every single night for a few years. Jason had always walked around with confidence, with a swagger of sorts. He had always seemed so sure of himself and had the air of barely restrained anger and now he was sort of…

Empty.

That was the only word that Tim could come up with.

The teen that he had looked up to and had thought was infallible had been reduced to his foundations. Every wall that he had built for himself seemed to have been torn down and reduced to rubble.

“I’ve talked it over with B. Multiple times. I guess talked is kind of the wrong way to say it.” The lighter clicked shut. “We both came to a conclusion that if you hadn’t butted in the way that you had, that I’d be dead right now.”

The words were said so simply. As if the weight behind them didn’t mean anything. Tim’s stomach dropped. It wasn’t the first time that he had heard the extent of what his actions had done. Selina had been the first to mention it, saying that Batman was out searching for the boy that had helped save Robin’s life and then Batman had thanked him personally for helping Robin the time that they had crossed paths.

Just the thought of Jason being dead made him uncomfortable. What would have happened, if Jason had actually died? How would it have effected Batman, how would it have effected Bruce Wayne?

This wasn’t something that Tim wanted to talk about.

“Robin-”

“Don’t call me that!” Jason snapped out so harshly that Tim was startled again. “I’m not… That’s not who I am anymore.”

“What do you mean?” There really wasn’t anything that he could say besides that. Tim knew that being Robin meant so much to Jason. He had noticed that so often when he watched the teen soar through the sky alongside Batman.

Jason sighed loudly. His foot was tapping impatiently on the ground. “I’m not saying that I’m not going out there anymore. I am. How am I supposed to stop? I just can’t be Robin anymore.”

Stray lifted his legs up onto the roof next to him, wrapping his arms around his knees as he pulled them towards his chest. Jason might be alive, but he said that he wasn’t going to be Robin anymore. What did that even mean? His eyes never pulled away from Jason as the older teen sighed once more, shoving the hood off of his head to run a hand through his hair before he moved to sit down next to Tim. One of his legs dangled over the edge of the roof as he planted the other on the concrete and leaned back on his hands. He tipped his head back and stared up at the sky.

They sat in silence together for a while. Tim just wasn’t sure what to say at that point and it didn’t seemed like Jason was privy for conversation either.

Both of their eyes shifted to the streets down belong when they heard a man shriek in pain. A woman had sprayed him in the eyes with pepper spray and was running away as the man kneeled on the ground as he rubbed at his eyes.

“If you’re not going to be Robin anymore, than who are you going to be?” Tim eventually asked.

Jason chuckled hollowly again, still staring down at the street as he lifted his hand to his mouth. Tim caught the slight twitching in his fingers. When they had seen each other, Jason had been smoking. Was he longing for a smoke right at that moment?

“Hell if I know. B told me to take all the time that I needed, but I’m not a very patient person.” He turned his head to finally look over at Tim. All Tim could imagine were those stunning blue-green eyes that were behind the mask.

“You could always just create a new costume and then see where that takes you.” It was what he had done. He grimaced. “Or not. The newspaper will call you something stupid like _Catlad_.” Tim muttered grumpily.

For the first time that night the laugh that filled the air was genuine. Tim couldn’t help but smile as he heard the soft bells of laughter. It was a very nice laugh.

“Yeah, I’d rather not leave it up to those idiots to pick a good moniker for me.” He looked away again. “B’s been subtlety, but really not because that word isn’t in his vocabulary, trying to give me some ideas. The latest one was Red Robin.”

“Red Robin.” It wasn’t that bad of a moniker. But still…

“I see the look on your face,” Jason spoke up, “I’m sure you’re thinking the same thing I was. It’s still Robin.”

“Red looks good on you. Maybe you can use that? Redbird or something?” Tim had tried for the comment to sound flippant, but he could tell by Jason’s mouth curling into a smile that he had utterly failed. He was really hoping that it wouldn’t become a trend for him to start gushing whenever he was around Nightwing or Jason.

“Red’s a nice color.” Jason agreed. “N has started hinting things as well. ‘Nightwing needs a Flamebird’ and shit like that.”

If Jason was looking to reinvent himself, maybe it was a good idea to go away from anything that he knew before. “That could work. Maybe you can even go to Bludhaven with him.”

The tightening of his jaw was already answer enough for Tim, even before Jason spoke. “I dunno. We don’t really get along.”

That was new. It wasn’t anything that Tim had caught before. Granted, Nightwing had barely been spotted in Gotham ever since Dick had given up Robin and moved on. He thought that it was hard to imagine Dick and Jason not liking each other.

“I can tell by your look that you’re confused. Let’s just say that I became Robin at a time where Nightwing wasn’t the happiest of campers. Out of everyone, I was probably the most surprised that he came running back to Gotham, from fucking outer space, as soon as he heard what had almost happened to me.”

“Then this is a good time to take advantage of that. Might as well get as much out of him as you can before he changes his mind.”

Jason laughed again. Tim really liked that he was able to make him laugh. “That’s some very twisted logic, but I like it.”

They lapsed back into silence then.

Before long the bell of the cathedral rang out into Crime Alley, signaling that it was eleven at night.

He wasn’t sure how long it had been until Jason spoke again, but the teen was staring up at the clock when he did. “Now it’s officially been six weeks and five days since you butted in on my business.”

Tim wasn’t sure what to say to that. Luckily, Jason kept on talking.

“I know that B talked to you before, but I wanted to say this myself. Thank you. I don’t know why you did what you did, but thanks.”

Stray looked away, feeling embarrassed at the sincere words. In the end he settled for words from his mentor. “Sometimes us Cats gotta take care of wayward Bats.”

“Alright little pussy cat. How about next time we meet, it be under better circumstances? I’ll be back in the groove and you’ll be doing…something.” Jason waved his hand.

“Next time we meet it might be you teaming up with Batman or Nightwing because Catwoman and I decide to dip our hands into someone’s priceless jewelry.”

“Then I guess I’ll have to kick your ass and take it back from you then.”

“I’d like to see you try, bird brain.” Stray muttered lowly.

A bark of laughter was his only reply as Jason pushed himself up. He pulled out a grappler from one of his pockets and gave Tim a salute before he jumped off of the building.

Stray watched as he dropped, using the grappler at the very last second before he swung away between the buildings. He decided that maybe it was a good idea to follow the other teen’s example. It was a quiet night. It wasn’t like there was anything to do.

Even as he made his way over the rooftops, he couldn’t help but smile.

Tim wondered what his next encounter with Jason would be like.

He couldn’t help but look forward to it.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Join me on [Tumblr](http://flashthroughlight.tumblr.com/)!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim's never really celebrated Mother's Day before, so why does he find himself getting something for Selina?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Mother's Day!

  
For all that Tim enjoyed watching Gotham from above, there was still something so intrinsic about walking around on her streets. If only for the anonymity that he got. There was no one that recognized him as Timothy Drake or Stray and he didn’t have to worry about anyone but himself.

As he was walking down one of the streets in downtown Tim couldn’t help but notice that there were a lot of people out and about. Granted, it was a Friday, but still. It just so happened that as he was looking around Tim veered off to the side slightly and bumped into someone that was coming out of a store. He was able to keep his balance but the girl that he had bumped into had dropped whatever she had been holding.

Tim immediately stooped down to pick it up. “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t really looking where I was going.” He apologized as he picked the small envelope up off the ground. Luckily it didn’t seem like that had actually gotten dirty. As he checked it over to make sure that he hadn’t ruined it with his inattentiveness it was hard not to notice what was written on the card.

He quickly handed it back and watched as the girl walked off in a huff after making sure herself that the card was alright. Now he knew why there were so many people walking around. Tim had been so occupied with them that he hadn’t been looking at the stores at all.

As he looked around at the store fronts he saw many different signs.

_Celebrate Mother’s Day the best way!_

The sign in the store that he was standing by proclaimed. Tim realized that just like that May had crept up to him and he hadn’t even noticed.

Not that this time of the month ever held any significance to Tim.

It wasn’t like his own mother was ever around to celebrate it with and it wasn’t like she really ever seemed to care about it either.

However, there was still a part of him that couldn’t help but feel a little left out as he saw fathers walking around with young children and gaggles of teenagers no doubt going in and out of stores to go and find Mother’s Day present together.

Tim kept on walking, keeping his head down as he tried to ignore all of it. When he had been a child he had never known about the celebration until he had gone to school and his teacher had given them an activity where they had cut flowers out of colored construction paper to give to their mothers over the weekend. All that he could remember about that day was that his mother had patted his head and muttered something to him. The other kids had all been talking about how much their mothers had loved the flowers they’d given them the following day at school and Tim had just vowed to himself that whatever he made the year after would be better so his mother would have to pay attention to it. Needless to say she hadn’t been around and by the time Tim was able to get it to her she hadn’t given it so much as a second look either.

Since then he had tried to stay away from the celebration. It wasn’t like it would bring him anything other than disappointment. It was easier over the years, not only because he grew up, but because his parents were around less and less.  

He wasn’t exactly sure what had made him step into one of the stores. It made him feel a little confused as he had never really felt the need to worry about celebrating Mother’s day. It was even more confusing when Tim started feeling a little bit left out.

A few minutes later he left the store with a card and a cheap, yet elegant looking pendant in the shape of a cat’s head. What in the world was he thinking?

Tim decided that the only way to stop worrying about it was to place the items out of sight. Once he made it back home he said his usual greetings to Mrs. Mac before he went up to his room. The small bag was hidden in his bedside drawers where he didn’t have to look at the items. Tim felt marginally better now that they weren’t in direct view and he made a decision to go out for the night, but not with Selina.

For a few days Tim was able to ignore the celebration that was coming up, but two nights before he and Selina are breaking into a vault and when she opens it up she grins. “Come to momma.”

It was a sleepless night for Tim when he got back home.

The next morning he rolled out of bed to wrap the small box up with some wrapping paper he found in the back of the pantry and signed the card.

For Selina, it seemed, the day was just like any other day. She didn’t act any different at all and didn’t treat him differently either. And yet… The gift and card were hidden in the backroom after Tim got dressed for the night. At first he was expecting himself to hand it to her before they went out, but he found that he couldn’t.

Tim stared at himself in the mirror before they left. “Stupid. Childish.” He said to his reflection. How could he even presume such a thing? How could he just give something like that to Selina, who he, in reality, had only been close with for up to half a year at most.

In the end the gift and card remained in the cubbyhole where he left his clothing. Tossed aside and forgotten.

In truth, Tim forgot about it after a few days. It wasn’t until Selina came out with the small bag a week later that he realized the mistake that he had made.

“What’s this, Kitten?” She asked him as she came into the living room and pulled out the gift and card.

Tim’s eyes widened and he vaulted off of the couch to run over to her. “No, wait!” It really wasn’t fair that she was taller than him, because even with him jumping to try and grab the items, Selina was still able to keep them away from him.

“But my name is on here.” The envelope tore open with a horrible ripping sound and Tim could feel his stomach drop.

Whereas Selina might not have been able to deduce what the card was actually for before, there was no way that she’d have any illusions as to what it was for anymore.

Even though she was reading the card, Tim still tried to grab the small box from her. As he kept jumping he missed the shocked look on Selina’s face just before she turned around so she could open the gift without Tim trying to climb all over her.

“Selina! Stop it!” It wasn’t any use though.

Selina was holding the necklace, the horribly tacky necklace, up as she inspected it. Tim could feel his face heat up as she turned her intense green eyes on him. He immediately looked away from her, hunching in on himself as he waited for her to do something- to say something. Either scold him or chase him off or anything really.

“Timmy.” There was a hand on his cheek that tilted his head up, but he resolutely kept looking at the corner of the room. A moment later there was a sigh and Tim thought that Selina was going to say something, but to his surprise she wrapped her arms around him tightly and pulled him close.

He stiffened before she placed one of her hands on his head and started running her fingers through his hair. It wasn’t until then that he started leaning against her, hiding his face in her shirt.

He wasn’t sure how long it had been before Selina let go of him and knelt down in front of him. She held out the necklace. “Put it on for me?”

It was only because of his months of training that Tim was able to keep his hands from shaking of nervousness as he undid the clasp of the necklace and put it on for Selina. He took a step back when he was finished and she got up to look at her reflection in the mirror. When she turned around it was with a gentle smile.

“I love it, Tim.”

The tears of relief and happiness were hidden against her collarbone when Selina leaned in for another embrace.

“Hush, my little Kitten. Momma’s here for you.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Join me on [Tumblr](http://flashthroughlight.tumblr.com/)!


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